Anyone know of any freeware that will convert .MOV files to .mpeg? I normally take short videos on my digital camera. I tried to burn some clips on a DVD using Windows Movie Maker and it doen't support .MOV files. I like movie maker and am used to using it. Any suggestions?
You need to use the appropriate bitrate for the format/resolution. Higher bitrates produce better quality but larger files. Every format has sweetspot for any given resolution. For example the max resolution for MPEG2 when used for DVD is 720*480. The highest bitrate for most material is going to be around 8000kbps, anything above this just creates a larger file. There are some exceptions like for jerky hand held video from home video, VHS in particular because it has so much noise. You'll want to max it out in that case which is something like 9000kbps. On the lower end of the scale for 720*480 if you drop the bitrate below 4000kbps macroblocks will begin to creep in.
At this point it's better to drop the resolution, you'll lose some detail but the blocks will go away. The sweetspot is going to vary according to format. While MPEG2 might require 8000kbps something like .WMV can easily get away with 2000kbps. Use a short clip to convert and test your results to make sure they are satisfatory.
Last and most important all conversion of one format to another result in loss in quality. This is particularly true if you don't know what the hell you are doing. If the material is important like little Johhnies first birthday be sure you keep the original as an archive.